Fluid distributing system



H. E. HEIGlS ET AL FLUID DISTRIBUTING SYSTEM April 8, 1958- 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed July 22, 1955 SPACE Z SPACE INVENTOR,S

a persons M/ NEY' I d g 3 W W 1 4 5 5 0 a I m I o, a w via/2Z2 w 4 I! w m. MT MEI Filed July 22, 1955 April 8, 195 8 H. E. HEIGIS ET AL 2,829,720

FLUID DISTRIBUTING SYSTEM 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 A ORNEY United StatesPatent O 2,829,720 FLUID DISTRIBUTING SYSTEM Henry E. Heigis, Nutley, and Floyd B. Parsons, Ridgewood, N. J., assignors to Specialties Development Corporation, Belleville, N. J., a corporation of New Jersey Application July 22, 1955, Serial No. 523,826

11 Claims. (Cl. 169--11) The present invention relates to high pressure fluid medium distributing systems of the type wherein liquid and/or gaseous carbon dioxide is stored and is'released for distribution to one or more zones or spaceswhere it is utilized as a tire extinguishing medium, and, more particularly, to such systems provided with an improved arrangement of devices for controlling the release and dis tribution of themedium under pressure.

The presentinvention contemplates such an improved arrangement for use in connection with so called pressure operated systems which do not relyon electrical wiring or pull cables for controlling their operation. Such systems essentially comprise a bank of fluid medium storage cylinders such as shown in United States Patents 2,492,165 and 2,630,867 which bank includes one or more control cylinders for effecting release of the other cylinders of the bank, valves equipped with discharge heads for the cylinders such-as shown in United States Patents 2,492,165 and 2,602,446, a pneumatic control head for the valves'of the control cylinders such as shown in United States Patent 2,466,750, a conduit or manifold into which the contents of the cylinders are discharged having branches leading to the spaces or zones where the fluid medium is to be applied, stop valves for each branch which are opened to direct the fluid medium to the zone where it is required, and heat actuators for each zone wherein air is expanded due to a rapid risein temperature and the pressure produced byrsuch expanded air is utilized to operate the pneumatic controlhe'ad.

One of the ditiiculties encountered in devising a multiple zone system in accordance with the foregoing is that the pressure transmitted by the heat actuator in response to temperature rise is dissipated in the various branch lines unless check valves are arranged therein to prevent flowback into adjacent branches and thus making such systems quite complex. Also, the cumulative effect of the operational pressure tolerances prescribed for heat actuators, check valves and pneumatic control heads places a limit on the maximum number of branches, or zones permissible in a single system.

Another difficulty encountered in devising such multiple zone systsms, wherein each zone is normally subjected to a different temperature condition and may have a difierent allowable temperature fluctuation, is that each branch should have a separate calibration of sensitivity. However, this could not be accomplished in a practical manner heretofore with rate of temperature rise detection, thus instead, the sensitivity of the various branches was compromised, whereby the system was not monitored with optimum elfectiveness. a

A further difiiculty has been that no feasible completely automatic system of this type could be devised which also conditioned the stop valve for opening thereof without resorting to a manuallycontrolled device, for example, a pull cable such as shown in United States Patent 2,630,867, or electrically operated valves.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to scream these i fisalt by p iq ns .a q plcte v,

2,829,720 Patented Apr. 8, 195 8 automatic, directional, multiple space, pressure operated system, which is simple and practical in construction and arrangement and is reliable in operation.

Another object is to provide such a system which can herein will occur toone skilled in the art upon employment of the invention in practice.

A preferred embodiment of the invention has been chosen for purposes of illustration and description, and is shown in the accompanying drawings, forming a part of the specification, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a schematic view of a system in accordance with the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a view of a cylinder valve, discharge head and pneumatic control head assembly, partly in elevation. and partly in section.

Fig. 3 is a view of a stop valve, stop valve control head and pressure pulse transmitter device and pneumatic control head assembly, partly in elevation and partly in section. 1 i

Fig. 4 is an enlarged longitudinal sectional view of the pressure pulse transmitter, illustrating the details thereof.

ity of primary or control cylinders 10 and a plurality of secondary or controlled cylinders 11; valves 12 for each of the cylinders equipped with discharge heads 14; a pneumatic control head 15 for the discharge heads of the con trol cylinders; a discharge conduit or manifold 16 having a plurality of branches 17 each leading to a space to be protected; a stop valve 19 in each of the branches; a pres sure pulse transmitter and stop valve control head device 20 for each stop valve; a tube 21 operativ'ely connecting the pressure pulse transmitter to the control cylinder pneumatic control heads 15; a pneumatic control head.

22 for actuating the device 20; one or more heat actuators 24 in each space; and a tube 25 operatively connecting the heat actuators and the pneumatic control head 22 associated with the spaces in which the heat actuators are located. i As shown in Fig. 2, the control cylinder valve discharge head 14 includes a piston chamber 30, a piston 51 in,

3 the chamber having a stem 32 extending into the upper end of the valve body, and an outlet 34 which is connected to the manifold 16. The valve 12 includes a valve memberfiS adapted to be unseated by the-piston stem 32 to" discharge the contents of the cylinder 10 into the manifold, and a passageway36 extends from the upstream:

side of the valve member to piston chamber which is normally closed by a pilot valve 37. -The pilot valve. is adapted to be opened by the pneumatic control head 15, whereby pressure medium from the. cylinderenergize sthe piston to effect unseating of the valve member.

The control heads 15 and 22 are identical andare fully";

illustrated and described in United States Patent M. iimmowNllllimllllllilliillWliullviMWllMi ii 3 a diaphragm. (not shown) for unlatching the plunger in response to a pressure pulse.

The controlled cylinder valves and discharge heads are similar to. those of the control cylinder except that the pilot valve 37; .and'a. control head therefor are not required. The pistons, of these heads are energized by pressure medium discharged into the manifold from the control cylinders whichenters the piston chamber through a passageway 44) between the chamber 30 and the outlet 34.

As shown in Fig. 3, the stop valve 19, the pressure transmitter and stop valve control head device, and the pneumatic control head 22. are coupled together as a unit.

The stop valve includes a normally seated valve member 41, a piston chamber 42, a piston 44 in the chamber having a stem 45 for unseating, the valve member 41, a passageway 46 extending from the upstream side of the valve member 41 to the piston chamber 42, and a normally closed pilot valve 47 in the passageway 46.

As shown in Figs. 3, 4 and S, the device 20 comprises abody including a casing 451 and a cylinder 50 having one end adjacent the casing and having an outlet 51 adjacent its opposite end to which the tube is connected, piston means 52 in the cylinder 50, a spring 54 for propelling the piston means towards the outlet 51 to produce and deliver a substantial pressure pulse, a rod 55 connected to the piston means 52 and extending through the casing, and a rod 56 extending through the casing crosswise with respect to the rod 55 and cooperating therewith to latch the same to retain the piston means 52 in spring loaded position as shown herein. One end of the rod 56 is adjacent the pilot valve 47, and the other end is adjacent the plunger 39 of the pneumatic control head 22 and is adapted to be moved thereby to unlatch the rod 55 and to open the pilot valve 47.

As shown more particularly in Figs. 4 and 5, the rod 55 is formed with a longitudinal slot 57 in the portion thereof within the casing which has a recess 59 facing the stop valve and providing a transverse face 60. The rod 56 has a slender section 61 extending through the slot 57 to the plunger 39 of the control head 22, and has an enlarged section 62 for engaging the face 69 to provide means for latching the rod 55 as already mentioned. If desired, the rod. 56 may have a, cam section 64 for operatinga switch 65 which may be used for operating an indicating device on a control panel to signify that the pressure transmitter associated with a particular space has been actuated or for operating an alarm either at the control panel or in the space into which carbon dioxide is about to be discharged. A spring 66 normally urges the rod 56 in the direction whereby the section 62 is retained in the recess 59.

The free end of the rod 55 (Fig. 4) extends outwardly of the casing and has indicia 67 thereon. A sleeve 69 is attached to the casing to enclose the protruding end of the rod 55 and has a slot or opening 70 in the side thereof to enable the indicia on the rod to be observed and to thereby determine whether or not the pressure pulse transmitter is loaded or requires resetting.

In order to facilitate resetting of the pressure pulse transmitter, the rod 55 has screw threads 71 at its free end, and the sleeve 69 is removably attached to the easing 49 by cooperating screwthreads, and is provided with screw threads 72 at its normally free end, whereby the sleeve can be unscrewed and screwed onto the end of the rod 55 to serve as a handle for conveniently pulling the rod outwardly. Upon so retracting the rod 55, the spring 6t; urges the rod 56 into its latching position, whereby the section 62 and the face 60 engage to reset the device. The sleeve 69 is then removed from the rod 55 and is attached to the casing again.

I The heat actuators 24 are fully illustrated and described. in United States Patent 2,355,185, and essentially comprise an air chamber having an outlet to which the ,4. tube 25 is connected and preferably having a vent, whereby the chamber can breathe with normal ambient temperature changes but the air therein is expanded to an extent to produce a pressure sufiicient to actuate the control head 22 when the ambient temperature rises abnormally due to a fire in the space.

In operation, the components of the systems normally are in the positions as illustrated. Should a fire occur in one of the spaces, the air in the heat actuator 24 of that space is expanded to trip the control head 22 connected thereto. The. plunger 39 of this control head drives the rod 56 towards the right, as viewed in Fig. 3, thereby causing the pilot valve 47 to be opened and the rod 55 to be unlatehed, whereby the spring 54 energizes the piston means 52 to produce a pressure pulse. This pulse is transmitted to the control heads 15 to actuate the same and thereby open the pilot valves 37 of the control cylinders 10. The'pistons 31 of the discharge heads 14 of these cylinders then open the valves 12 to discharge carbon dioxide into the manifold which then causes the controlled cylinders to be discharged into the manifold. The carbon dioxide flows into the branches 17 leading to all the spaces but is stopped by the valves 19 unless the pilot valve 47- thereof has been opened, as in the case of the pilot valve associated with the space in which a fire has been detected. Carbon dioxide in that branch thenflows through the passageway 46 and into the chamber 42 whereby that stop valve is opened and carbon dioxide passes therethrough for discharge into space to extinguish the fire.

The device 20 is adapted to displace about 2.5 cubic inches of air to produce a pressure pulse of a magnitude to operate at least two pneumatic heads 15 even if this pulse is partially absorbed in a space of 60 cubic inches due to 450 feet of tubing having a volume of 33 cubic inches and five other transmitter cylindres 50 each having a volume of 5.4 cubic inches. The pressure transmitted is of a much greater magnitude than the pressure produced by the heat actuator.

After the fire has been extinguished, the indicia 67 indicates that the transmitter and control 22 associated with the space in which the fire occurred requires resetting whereupon the pilot valve 47 is reclosed by its spring. The cylinders 10 and 11 are then recharged and control heads 15 and 22- are reset, whereby the system again is ineondition for operation.

From the foregoing description, it will be seen that the present invention provides a completely pneumatic or air operated automatic system for selectively conditioning stop valves and initiating the release of the fluid medium under pressure. A further advantage of this arrangement is that since the stop valve usually is near the space, the stop valve conditioning and pressure transmitting deviceand its pneumatic control head are close to the heat actuator which isin the space, whereby the pressure produced by the heat actuator can be relied upon to actuate the last mentioned control head.

As various changes maybe made in the form, construction and arrangement of the parts herein, without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention and without sacrificing any of its advantages, it is to be understood that all matter hereinis-to be interpreted as illustrative and not in any limiting sense.

We claim:

1. In a fluid distributing system, a conduit extending to a zone to which fluid is to be delivered, storage means for fluid under pressure, a normally closed discharge valve for confining the fluid in said storage means having an outlet connected to said conduit, a pressure pulse operated control head for effecting unclosing of said discharge valve, a pressure pulse transmitter including a cylinder and spring operated piston means in said cylinder, tubing operatively connecting said control head and said cylinder, means for latching said piston in a spring loaded position, a pressure pulse operated control head for rendering said latching means ineffective to cause said piston means said conduit, a pressure pulse operated control head for effecting unclosing of said discharge valve, a pressure pulse transmitter for each of the zones each including a cylinder and a spring operated piston means in said cylinders, tubing operatively connecting said control head and said cylinder, means associated with each of said transmitters for latching its piston in a spring loaded position, a pressure pulse operated control head associated with each of said transmitters for rendering said latching means ineffective to cause said piston means to produce a pulse, and means in each zone for producing a pressure pulse to actuate its said last mentioned control head in response to a change of condition in its zone.

3. In a fluid distributing system, a conduit extending to a zone to which fluid is to be delivered, a normally closed stop valve in said conduit, storage means for fluid under pressure, a normally closed discharge valve for confining the fluid in said storage means having an outlet connected to said conduit, a pressure pulse operated control head for effecting unclosing of said discharge valve, a pressure pulse transmitter including a cylinder and spring operated piston means in said cylinder, tubing operatively connecting said control head and said cylinder, means for latching said piston in a spring loaded position including an element for conditioning said stop valve to effect unclosing thereof, a pressure pulse operated control head for rendering said latching means ineifective, to cause said piston means to produce a pulse and to make said element eifective, and means in the zone for producing a pressure pulse to actuate said last mentioned control head in response to a change of condition in the zone.

4. In a fluid distributing system, a conduit having a plurality of branches each extending to a zone to which fluid is to be delivered, a normally closed stop valve in each of said branches, storage means for fluid under pressure, a normally closed discharge valve for confining the fluid in said storage means having an outlet connected to said conduit, a pressure pulse operated control head for effecting unclosing of said discharge valve, a pressure pulse transmitter for each of the zones each including a cylinder and spring operated piston means in said cylinder, tubing operatively connecting said control head and said cylinders, means associated with each of said transmitters for latching its piston in a spring loaded position including an element for conditioning the stop valve to eifect unclosing thereof, a pressure pulse operated control head associated with each of said transmitters for rendering said latching means inetfective to cause said piston means to produce a pulse and to make said element effective, and means in each zone for producing apressure pulse to actuate its said last mentioned control head in response to a change of condition in its zone.

5. In a fluid distributing system, a conduit extending to a zone to which fluid is to be delivered, a normally closed stop valve in said conduit including pressure operated means for effecting unclosing thereof, storage means for fluid under pressure, a normally closed discharge valve for confining the fluid in said storage means having an outlet connected to said conduit and including pressure operated means for effecting unclosing thereof, a pressure pulse operated control head for rendering said pressure operated means of said discharge valve effective, a pressure pulse transmitter and stop valve control head device operatively connected to said pressure pulse operated con- 6 trol headfor actuating the same and'including an element for rendering said pressure operated means of said stop valve effective; a pressure pulse operated control head including an element for rendering said device eifectivea and means in the zone for producing a pressure pulse to actuate said last mentioned control head in response to a change of condition in the zone.

6. In a fluid distributing system control unit, a pressure pulse transmitter including a cylinder having an outlet for delivering a pressure pulse and including spring operated piston means in said cylinder, means for latching said piston in a spring loaded position, anda pressure pulse operated control head coupled to said transmitter including an element for rendering said latching means in effective.

7. In a fluid distributing system control unit, a pressure pulse transmitter including a cylinder having an outlet for delivering a pressure pulse, piston means in said cylinder a spring adapted to propel said piston through said cylinder, means for latching said piston in a spring loaded position, and a pressure operated control head coupled to said transmitter including an inlet, a diaphragm in fluid communication with said inlet, an element adapted for movement with said diaphragm; for rendering said latching means ineffective in response to a pressure acting on said diaphragm and thereby cause said piston means to produce a pulse, said pressure transmitter being so constructed and arranged whereby the pressure of the pulse produced is much greater than the pressure required to operate said control head.

8. In a fluid pressure medium distributing system discharge conduit control unit, a normally closed stop valve in the conduit including pressure operated means for effecting unclosing thereof, a pressure pulse transmitter and stop valve control head device coupled to said step valve and including an element for rendering said pres sure operated means effective, and a pressure operated control head coupled to said device including an element for rendering the element of said device effective.

9. In a fluid distributing system control unit, a conduit extending to a zone to which fluid under pressure is to be delivered; a normally closed valve in said conduit including a cylinder, a piston in said cylinder for opening said valve, a passageway connecting said cylinder and said conduit upstream of said valve, and a pilot valve normally seated to close said passageway; a pressure pulse transmitter coupled to said valve including a spring operated piston and latching means for retaining said piston in spring loaded position provided with structure for unseating said pilot valve; and a pressure operated control head coupled to said transmitter including an element for rendering said latching means inefiective.

10. In a fluid distributing system, storage means for fluid under pressure, a normally closed discharge valve for confining the fluid in said storage means including a discharge head for unclosing the same, pressure operated control head means for rendering said discharge head effective, a normally ineifective self powered pressure pulse transmitter including a cylinder having an outlet, piston means in said cylinder, and spring means adapted to propel said piston through said cylinder operatively connected to said control head means, a pressure operated control head including a pressure inlet, a diaphragm in fluid communication with said inlet an element adapted for movement with said diaphragm for rendering said transmitter effective in response to a pressure: acting on said diaphragm, and a heat actuator for producing a pressure for actuating said control head, said transmitter being so constructed and arranged to produce a pressure of a much greater magnitude than the pressure produced by said heat actuator.

11. In a fluid distributing system, a conduit having a plurality of branches each of which extends to a separate zone to which fluid is to be delivered, a normally closed stop valve including pressure operated means for efiecting unclosing thereof in each of said branches, storage means for fluid under pressure, a normally closed discharge valve including pressure operated means for effecting unclosing thereof for confining the fluid in said storage means, said discharge valve having an outlet connected to said conduit, a pressure operated control head for rendering said pressure operated means of said discharge valve eft'ective, a pressure transmitter, including a cylinder and spring operated piston means in said cylinder, for each of said stop valves and connected thereto, tubing operatively connecting said control head and said cylinders, means associated with each of said transmitters for latching its piston in a spring loaded position including an element for effecting the actuation of said stop valve pressure operated means, a pressure pulse operated control head associated with eachof said transmitters for rendering said latching means inefiective to cause said piston means to produce a pressure increase and to make said element effective, and means in each zonefor producing a pressure to actuate its said last mentioned control head in response to a change in condition in its References'Citedin the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,0ll,368 Mapes Aug; 13, 1935 2,044,438 Mapes June 16, 1936 2,400,372 Rider May 14, 1946 2,630,867

Heigis Mar. 10, 1953 

